There are many things I do not know about Korryn, and the information I do know is limited to social media, news outlets, and remnants of her own social media posts. With that, there is a lot to be said about the circumstances of Korryn’s death, however so much is unknown and may never be known. Some time has passed since this incident. I wanted to give myself time to gather information, and ponder over her life and the resulting circumstances before drawing any conclusions. However, it didn’t take long for me to see that mental health has played a major role in the unfolding of events and circumstances. Unfortunately what really prompted me to write about Korryn was the amount of blame attributed to her for her own death and injury of her son. Many believed her actions to be less than ideal and unrespectable. Therefore, many blamed Korryn for this incident because her action did not represent what most of us believe we would have done.

With that, I don’t have the answers, however I am hesitant to place blame on Korryn for her death. Rather, I want to provide a different perspective for what could have happened; one that involves a recognition and understanding of mental health, and more specifically, a framework for understanding how trauma and other stress-related incidents impact our worldview and influences our interactions within society.

What is Trauma?

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​To begin this discussion, we need to be equipped with a basic understanding of trauma and traumatic stress. Trauma and traumatic stress occur when one is exposed to stressful, dangerous, and/or life-threatening events. Traumatic experiences have the ability to impact social, emotional, and cognitive development, and leads to impairments in the way we socialize, understand our emotions, express our emotions, and interpret the intentions and actions of others. Traumatic experiences alter our entire understanding of what happens around us and has consequences for how we then function in our lives. This is intensified when these experiences occur during childhood and when there are multiple and continuous events (i.e. living in poverty, experiencing physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, witnessing domestic violence, etc.). Individuals who have experienced traumatic events are more likely to experience mental health challenges, such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, social isolation, paranoia, and even early death.

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What is Racial Trauma?

To deepen this discussion, there also needs to be an understanding of racial trauma. Racial trauma can be understood as a subset of trauma, as it specifically addresses traumatic experiences that are related to race, racism, and race-related stressors. Therefore, racial trauma can be defined as racial experiences of real or perceived threat or danger. These experiences can be directly experienced or the witnessing of someone else’s experience. This can also be triggered by hearing about the racial experiences of others. These racial experiences often cause feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, fear of safety, and perceived shortened live expectancy (i.e. “I may not make it to 25 years old.”). Racial trauma rarely involve a single event, and is more likely to be a culmination of racial experiences, resulting in insidious and chronic stress. These racial events include individual racist events, consequences of institutional racism, effects of cultural racism, daily microaggressions, and perceived racism.

​It would be difficult to find any person of color who lives in America who has not experienced some sort of racism, or race-related stressor. Therefore, it is likely that many of us experience and are impacted by varying levels of racial trauma. Likewise, it is common to encounter individuals who have experienced other traumatic events at some point in their lives. More frightening is the idea that there are many people of color who experience racial trauma, in addition to other non-racial traumas. This means that there are even more disturbing consequences for their lives.

Was Korryn impacted by trauma?

​Based on the small amount of what I have learned about Korryn’s life, I feel comfortable understanding her life as one that may have been impacted by several traumatic events (both racial and otherwise). When I know that someone has experience assaults on their livelihood and experiences that have the potential to alter their ability to live, I begin to have a different level of empathy for their life. This is because trauma is unfair and often unfixable.

It wasn’t fair that Korryn may have been exposed to lead early in her life that had the potential to damage her cognitive and physical livelihood. It wasn’t fair that Korryn was born into conditions that even had the potential to expose her to lead. It wasn’t fair that Korryn felt that her life was in danger and that she needed to protect herself and her family. It wasn’t fair that Korryn was possibly the victim of domestic violence. It wasn’t fair that Korryn may have had a miscarriage while she was in jail. It wasn’t fair that Korryn experienced oppression and felt victimized by law enforcement for being a Black Woman. None of this was fair and all of it was traumatic for Korryn.

It is easy to blame Korryn for the events that led up to her death, but who do we blame for the conditions and experiences of Korryn’s life that altered her physical and mental livelihood? The same behaviors and actions that make it easy for us blame Korryn for her death and injury of her son are directly related to the traumatic experiences that led Korryn’s perception of her environment as one of danger, injustice, and impending doom. There is no one way to respond to traumatic experiences and there is no right reaction to abnormal circumstances. Therefore, I cannot blame Korryn for her actions and reactions to the threatening events and circumstances that occurred within her life.

When I consider the environments that contribute to experiences of paranoia, anxiety, and fear of law enforcement, I realize that society has failed Korryn. When I think about the potential lack of mental health resources afforded to Korryn and people like her, I realize that the mental health profession has failed Korryn. When I considered the reality of thousands of people who are not able to empathize with Korryn’s logic and reasoning, I realize that we continue to fail Korryn and people like her. I wonder how her life would have been different if more people were around to identify and name her mental health symptoms, rather than ignore them. I wonder how her life would have been different if more people were around to validate and support her through these experiences, rather than harass and antagonize. I wonder how Korryn’s life would have been different if the world we lived in was just a little bit better, so that she would not have experienced traumatic stress and alterations in the way she perceives her world. If our world was just a little bit better, she would probably be alive today.​I hope that this perspective of Korryn shifts the conversation from blame to caring, empathy and more advocacy for accessible mental health service. I hope this contributes to increased education about mental health so that we are able to identify the signs and symptoms within ourselves and our loved ones, before it’s too late.

I don’t often watch television, but when I do, Being Mary Jane (BMJ) is always on my must watch list. I am finally catching season three of BMJ (thanks, Netflix!) and could not help but share my utter amazement at the show’s ability to capture so many facets of POC womanhood. BMJ is not only funny and entertaining, but also continuously captures some of the most complex and challenging aspects of POC woman identity.

What I have appreciated the most with season three of BMJ is the show’s focus and attention to mental health. Because of that, I want to talk about three very important themes that came to mind as I enjoyed BMJ (without any :::SPOILER ALERTS::: for those of you who are not caught up yet!).

Theme #1: "Strong Black Woman"

The image of the Strong Black Woman is one that has continued to evolve throughout generations of Black womanhood. It is one that has developed from experiences of oppression and obstacles, particularly of the simultaneous subjection to experiences of both sexism and racism. From that, Black woman have come to take pride in rising above obstacles, overcoming challenges, and always making lemonade out of the lemons that were served.

There is a lot of pride that comes with the ability to remain strong during Black womanhood. Additionally, this collective source of strength and pride has shown to push Black woman to many heights, including to be known as America’s most educated group. With that, the image of the Strong Black Woman also has the potential to bring isolation, confusion, loneliness, and depression. One of the most threatening dangers of being the Strong Black Woman is the misconception that Black woman are always strong, and should be capable of handling any and all struggles and obstacles. This can lead to a belief that the need for help or support is akin to weakness or personal failure. The need for assistance and support becomes overlooked and it is assumed that everything is fine, when this may not be the reality.

The Myth of the Strong Black Woman directly opposes #blackgirlmagic. While the Strong Black Woman’s strength lies in the ability to show no vulnerability in the face of challenge and obstacles, the strength and power of #blackgirlmagic lies in the ability to accept vulnerability. The need for assistance and support becomes an inevitable aspect of Black girlhood and womanhood. With #blackgirlmagic, it is okay to need help, to experience moments of vulnerability and to express your needs and desires to others. It is expected because Black girls and women are human. We are multifaceted, and all of our complex characteristics are what makes us absolutely amazing.

Theme #2: "You can't have it all."

Throughout the show, we see several of the woman struggle to balance aspects career, relationships, family, and motherhood. At one point in season three, Kara breaks down as she cries “you can’t have it all.” This stood out to me, as it was very reminiscent of quotes I had heard previously from both Shonda Rhimes and Michelle Obama.​“Whenever you see me somewhere succeeding in one area of my life, that almost certainly means that I am failing in another area of my life; If I am killing it on a ‘Scandal’ script for work, I’m probably missing bath and storytime at home. If I am at home sewing my kids’ Halloween costumes, I am probably blowing off a script I was supposed to rewrite. Powerful famous women don’t say out loud that they have help at home, that they have nannies, housekeepers, chefs, assistants, stylists — whatever it is they have to keep their worlds spinning, because they are ashamed; Or maybe a more precise way to say it is that these women have been shamed.” -Shonda Rhimes; Year of Yes.

“I am always irritated by the “you can have it all” statement. And I grew irritated with that phrase and that expectation the older I got, as you’re trying to have it all. And you’re beating yourself up, and feeling less than because you aren’t having it all. Because it’s a ridiculous aspiration; So what I’ve told many young people is that you can have it all, but oftentimes it’s hard to get it all at the same time.” –Michelle Obama; United State of Women Summit, June 2016

With the rise of academic and career advancement for many women, in addition to the pressures of romantic partnership and motherhood, there is a lot to manage. I have (both personally and professional) spent time with many women who strive to achieve optimal success in every aspect of their life. These same women have experienced great despair when they have not been able to “successfully” attain all that they desire.

This expectations feels very similar to the previously discussed assumption that woman should be able to balance every aspect of their life, with little to no difficulty, when the reality is that this is an incredible feat.

So, how can women learn to balance aspects of our lives without pressure to aim for perfection in the process? How can we offer support to women in our lives who are struggling to balance aspects of their own lives?

For this answer, I will default to my very wise FLOTUS:

“So it’s hard to have it all. But that’s where you go back to knowing who you are, and knowing that you’re really living through phases. And if you’re compromising through one phase of your journey, you’re not giving it all up, you’re compromising for that phase. There’s another phase that’s coming up where you might be able to have more of what you thought you wanted. You get to know yourself a little bit more.

So, no, I don’t want young women out there to have the expectation that if they’re not having it all that somehow they’re failing. Life is hard. But life is long if you maintain your health, which is one of the reasons why we talk about health, talk about taking care of yourself. Because you want to get to the next phases in life where you can do more of what you want to do at any given time.” – Michelle Obama.

Theme #3: Self-Care

​Self-care is something I have had to learn and continue to practice on a daily basis. For many reasons, the act of self-care does not often come naturally for POC girls and women. In fact, the act of self-care often elicits feelings of guilt and shame, and is frequently interpreted as being “selfish.” POC women are socialized to care for the needs and desires of others first, which means that we commonly neglect our self-care or we develop inadequate means of self-care.

Throughout the series, we see inadequate means of coping with the daily stress of life, i.e. excessive drinking, misuse of prescription and illicit drugs, overworking and burn-out, emotional withdrawn, and social isolation. While it is common and tempting to place your own needs aside, this is dangerous and could be deadly. Furthermore, inadequate self-care is often linked to more severe mental and physical health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, hypertension, heart disease, etc.

As our FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, has said, we must maintain our health in order to live a long and happy life. Furthermore, it is impossible for us to care for the needs of others when we ourselves are depleted. The prioritization of self-care must be deliberate. The practice of self-care is invaluable to your overall health and well-being. With that being said, please take a moment to think about how well you are taking care of yourself, and consider implementing some of the following into your daily self-care routine:

Being a psychologist, who is also a Black Woman, I often find myself amongst other {non-Black} psychologists who want to learn and understand more about the intricate lifestyles and cultures of Black people. Recently, one of my favorite questions was the following:

“What is #blackgirlmagic?”​Not only was this question exciting because I {personally} attempt to exude large amounts of #blackgirlmagic on the daily, but also because it meant that my worlds of psychology, popular culture, Black culture, and Womanism were colliding all in one very special moment. I started to imagine a world where traditional psychology utilized interventions steeped in #blackgirlmagic to provide coping skills to Black girls and woman all around the world. We aren’t there, yet. But for now, I would love to talk about #blackgirlmagic and how it (especially in my world) relates to the field of psychology.

What is #blackgirlmagic?

​Simply put, #blackgirlmagic is a private party for Black girls and women, celebrating none other than Black girls and women. #blackgirlmagic is a celebration that involves recognizing, appreciating, acknowledging, loving, and accepting all that is wonderful, beautiful, and even challenging, about being a Black girl or woman. #blackgirlmagic is typically spelled with a hashtag because it began as a social medial movement, where Black girls and women from different parts of the world posted pictures of themselves, in attempts to celebrate their own beauty, accomplishments, and unique perspectives. #blackgirlmagic has since proven to be too powerful to be confined to the internet, as it is now a live and active movement that promotes self-love, authenticity, affirmation of strength, and radical acceptance of Black womanhood.

Why is this necessary?

The short answer to this is…because, why not? However, the more thorough answer involves the historical representation, lack of representation, or misrepresentation of Black girls and women in society. Many stereotypes are used to portray the character and lifestyle of Black girls and women. These stereotypes are portrayed in the media, and also perpetuated within our educational system, corporate America, criminal justice system, and other aspects of daily life. Black girls are often thought to be loud, promiscuous, unintelligent, unmotivated, disrespectful, while similarly, Black women are often perceived as being welfare queens(or people who overuse social services), angry, intimidating, sexualized, and unfit for marriage. These stereotypes are restricting, negative, and harmful. They diminish the diversity and greatness of Black girls and women, while also ignoring the societal predicaments that allow for such stereotypes to be generated in the first place (i.e. poverty, racism, sexism, income inequality, street harassment, sexual abuse, invisibility, patriarchy, mass incarceration, educational inequality, lack of cultural representation, etc.).

One might {incorrectly} assume that a solution to the struggles of Black girls and women would be to join the feminist movement, however even this is problematic. This is because, historically, traditional feminism was initiated by and created for the benefit of White women. Throughout history, Black women have found it difficult to feel welcomed and fully understood by the feminist movement. It is common for White women to “default to Whiteness” or generalize their experiences of womanhood (which is heavily influenced by their experience of also being White) to the entire feminist movement. Therefore, even in their very most well intended attempts to be inclusive and culturally competent, traditional feminist may still miss the mark when attempting to address and reconcile the issues of Black girls and women. ​With all that being said, #blackgirlmagic is so necessary. It is necessary for Black girls and woman to feel celebrated, acknowledged, and loved in a world that often does not feel safe or welcoming. Additionally, it is important for Black women and girls to have a voice that is collective, yet diversified, and loud enough to be heard. #blackgirlmagic is lit.

How does this relate to psychology?

Research and statistics related to mental health service has informed us that minority and underrepresented groups are often at higher risk for mental health distress, however tend to underutilize mental health services. The underutilization of mental health services for many of these groups involves inadequate access to mental health providers, stigma surrounding mental health service, and also the {well founded} belief that they will not be heard or understood by mental health providers. This is particularly the case for Black girls and women. Recent data from the National Center for Science and Engineering showed that of the 2014 recipients of doctoral psychology degrees, only 5% of those recipients were Black. Based on my own experiences, I would safely assume that this means that approximately 4% of those 2014 recipients were Black women (with only 1% being Black men, which is another disheartening story for another promising day). With such a small amount of representation of Black women within the field of psychology today, it’s quite likely that the mental health treatment of Black girls and women is often confusing and inadequate.

Because of intersectionality, or the interaction of cultural variables to create identity, it would be incorrect to assume that the sole use of Black Psychology or Africentric interventions would be enough to address the mental health concerns of Black girls and women. Similarly, it would also be incorrect to assume that these same concerns can be address with the sole use of Feminist Theory and/or interventions. Both Africentric and Feminist theories neglect the unique intersection of both race and gender that Black girls and women experience; the very intersection that is captured by #blackgirlmagic.​Unlike Feminist Theory, Womanism (social theory deeply rooted in the racial and gender-based oppression of black women; #blackgirlmagic’s big sister) has not yet found its way into mainstream psychology. This is unfortunate, because where Feminism lacks in its attempts to intervene with Black women, Womanism would pick up.

Future Directions?

Despite all we have learned about the missing links between psychology today and #blackgirlmagic, I am not discouraged. I still do, at times, imagine a world where traditional psychology utilizes interventions steeped in #blackgirlmagic to provide coping skills to Black girls and woman all around the world. The best part is that I do not believe we are that far from this becoming reality.

My goals for the field of psychology would be the further research and study of unique issues that impact Black girls and women and increased collaboration with social and popular media to guide the tailoring of new and exciting interventions that involve #blackgirlmagic. ​What a world that would be!

Imagine all that we could do if we are first just comfortable in our own skin.

- Amandla Stenberg

​Recently, I watched a video of Amandla Stenberg explain that “My Authenticity is My Activism.” As soon as I finished listening to her message, I was amazed at the wisdom and beauty of this 17-year-old young woman. I immediately started to wish that I had a friend like Amandla when I was 17-years-old; a friend who would encourage and reassure me to be my true self. I can only imagine how different my life would have been at that time, and the years to follow. Simply put, Amandla described how she has become a social activist, and that it primarily involves pushing herself to be none other than her true self. At first, this may not sound like a radical idea, or something that should be considered “activism,” however I would argue otherwise.

The Miserable Pressure of Social Norms.

Believe it or not, there is a pressure must of us feel daily that comes from social norms. These norms tell us what to do, how to dress, what to say, and attempt to define who we should be. Social norms are everywhere, and can be drastically different based on social and cultural context. Sometimes, social norms become rich traditions that are reverenced and celebrated. Other times, social norms become inflexible and limiting. Depending on who you are, different social norms may have a different impact on you and your life. ​Because social norms (which often align with the voice of the majority) are so powerful, you’re less likely to experience backlash or resistance from society when you “fit in” or follow along with the decided norms. However, that does not take away the pain and despair that comes with attempting to be someone you’re not.

Using Yourself as a Form of Resistance.

​One portion of Amandla’s message that I found myself identifying strongly with was her relationship with her hair.

…as I grew up, I found new hairstyles, new ways to make my hair smaller, and consequently, myself smaller. I straighten it, I put all kinds of chemicals in it, and God forbid that there was moisture in the air or a droplet fell from the sky because I would be gone! I would vanish!​Recently, I’ve started wearing my hair natural, and often times I get the question: ‘Why do you wear your hair natural? Is it apart of your political agenda?’ And in some ways it is!

I’ve realized that loving myself has been a gradual process. Coming into myself as a Black person and as a woman has been a gradual process. When we grow up as Black girls, we are told we should be ashamed of our hair, we are told we should be ashamed of our bodies, and that we should be ashamed of our voices….We’re fed these advertisements that tell us to straighten our hair, as if, if we straighten it, we’ll be more civil, which is just another way of saying more White.

While this part of Amandla’s message may appeal specifically to Black Women, the overall idea is that oppressive social norms and standards often limit the expression, potential, and happiness for millions of people from various cultures, every single day. This is because these oppressive social norms often say, “your true self will not be accepted here, and so you must change.”

However, choosing to resist those social norms, and resist the pressure to fit in or conform is courageous, inspiring, and healing. These are all adjectives I would use to describe activism. Choosing to be yourself in a world that often tells you otherwise is at the core of what it truly means to be an activist. Let your true identity be your resistance. Be who you want to be and be proud of it. Then, your activism will become authentic and will speak for itself.​It’s okay to exist as yourself. Be the very best version of your true self.

How can I be an activism in a society that disparages me? ...Just by choosing to love myself, choosing to honor myself and being comfortable with my identity in a society that tells me I shouldn’t, I am starting a revolution.

I've recently been exploring and researching more into the idea of Black Woman Identity Development. One theme I've always been bothered by and continues to come up is the tradition of Black women being asked to "protect" the integrity of Black men, for the greater good of the Black race. This is unique because while women in general are often told their issues are less significant, within the Black community there is pressure placed on women to diminish themselves in order to protect an entire race of people. So in a sense, asking Black women to forget that they are women, to uphold the Black community. As I personally begin to understand the significance of my womanhood and its impact on my identity, this becomes more and more problematic for me.

Black women acknowledging issues of gender-related oppression is not "Black man bashing." Bringing attention to Black women and girls should never been seen as a personal attack on Black men. It does not take away from or diminish the love and power apparent within relationship between Black men and women. It is in no way meant to demonize or diminish the character and integrity of Black men. It's simply Black women asking for recognition and protection that should innately be present, because we are human. Neglecting to understand that within the Black community still exists oppressive acts and ideologies based on gender, sexual orientation, ability status, age, SES, religion, nationality, etc. is absurd and something that I hope we can continue to illuminate.

The Black community is not a monolith, and it is possible for us to be unified while at the same time address issues that impact our lives in different ways.What do you think? Share your thoughts!